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Thursday, January 14, 2010

week 1 in cambodia

It's thursday night here in Phnom Penh (thursday morning in America), and the first week of classes is winding down. Routine is setting in, but I'll start you off with a few more of the interesting and exciting things that have happened this week.
First, and most importantly, today we saw the king! Apparently thats a rare occurence, and it was quite special for us to see him. We were sitting enjoying a beer after class, and suddenly the roads got eerily quiet (which in phnom penh is odd because every street is always swarming with activity). Suddenly a motorcade comes through, with the king in a black SUV, sticking his head out the window, waving and smiling. I think we made eye contact. (he's about 30 years old and single... maybe I could be the next queen of cambodia?)

Today we also got a massage for 6$. An hour long massage... six dollars. It was wonderful, and if we can find cheap ones in Thailand for this price, I will make it a weekly occurence. SIX DOLLARS!

Yesterday we walked all around Phnom Penh. Pretty much the entire length. The city is always bustling and I feel like there are always a million things to look at. We walked for about 4 hours, stopping along the way for beer or dinner. At a park in the heart of downtown, there are often many young people about, playing soccer or badmington, or just hanging out. Typically there is music playing and aerobics happening. We happened to see this yesterday, with a big dance sequence. It was so fun to watch, and I'm working up the nerve to join next time.

Every day I'm here I love this country more and more. I love how friendly people are, how relatively untouched it is from tourism, and its history. This is where the ancient khmer empire started, where the roots of Buddhism began, and where the deadly khmer rouge happened. The country has been in such turmoil for the last 30 years, and is just now beginning to gain its feet again. They are desperate for english teachers here, and there are multiple volunteer opportunities for everything else. Its a beautiful story, in my opinion, and it's really neat to witness it and even be a part of it, if only briefly.

It feels like long days in class, but after class it's been all fun. It is nice to be in the schedule and routine of classes every day. The school we take it at is a major language school right in the downtown of the city, with many khmer's (the word for cambodian natives) taking classes in rooms right next to us. I especially love it when I see monks walking around in classes all around me.

Tomorrow we leave for Ankor Wat and Siem Reap. I'm anxious to see the country side. Don't worry, I'll be posting pictures soon.

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